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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Sam Levin in Los Angeles

When rap lyrics are used against you in court: ‘They silenced me for 21 years’

United States California Erik Nielson Young Thug University of Richmond
McKinley ‘Mac’ Phipps Jr was convicted of murder despite no physical evidence linking him to the crime. Prosecutors used his rap lyrics.
McKinley ‘Mac’ Phipps Jr was convicted of murder despite no physical evidence linking him to the crime. Prosecutors used his rap lyrics. Photograph: Angelique Phipps

In 2000, McKinley “Mac” Phipps Jr was a 22-year-old rising rap star when he was arrested for murder.

A 19-year-old had been shot at a Slidell, Louisiana, club where Phipps was due to perform, and police quickly zeroed in on the artist as the suspect. A man who was working security at the venue confessed that he had killed the teenager, but still prosecutors pushed forward with a trial against Phipps.

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